Hughes 369 accident near Riverside, California, August 17, 2018
On August 17, 2018 at about 5:50 pm local time, a 1980 Hughes 369 (helicopter), registered N105JL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Riverside, California (Riverside Municiapal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The instructor’s delayed remedial action to an excessive descent rate during a simulated autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2018 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Riverside, California · Riverside Municiapal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369 D, built 1980 · all 369s on the register
- Registration
- N105JL · no longer on the register · serial 900807D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction was performing a full-touchdown, 180° autorotation when the instructor noted that the helicopter was going to be short of the intended landing zone and advanced the throttle to initiate a power recovery. The helicopter continued to descend and landed hard and rolled over, resulting in substantial damage. The instructor reported no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter or engine that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the instructor’s delayed response to the helicopter’s excessive rate of descent resulted in the hard landing. After egressing the helicopter, the instructor noted that the pilot receiving instruction had been ejected from the helicopter during the accident sequence. Examination of the restraint systems revealed that the cotter pins for the hook-end fitting that attached to the airframe seat belt fittings had not been installed. The centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the helicopter during the accident sequence was likely sufficient for the hook-end fitting, void of the cotter pin, to separate from the seat belt fitting, which then resulted in the student being ejected from the helicopter. As a result of the accident, the manufacturer issued a mandatory service bulletin requiring the installation of cotter pins in the seat belt assemblies.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Incorrect use/operation
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › Fasteners › Not installed/available
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Seat/cargo attach fitting › Incorrect service/maintenance
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,850 hours in all; 13,000 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 13,600 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 15, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,717.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 30, 2018; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 6,094 hours total
- Operator: Western Helicopters Inc
The flight
- Departed from: RAL Riverside CA at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,850 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 67°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 4:30 pm from RAL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on June 17, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Meteorology | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Summary of Aircraft Examination | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Md Helicopters Service Bulletin 369D-227 | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo Array of Helicopter Damage | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.